Set against the glamor and secrecy of Long Island during Prohibition, Fitzgerald’s classic explores the dazzling yet empty lifestyles of the wealthy. Jay Gatsby hosts extravagant parties filled with jazz music and illegal booze, hidden beneath his glittering image.
Through Gatsby’s pursuit of the elusive Daisy Buchanan, Fitzgerald shows us the promise and ultimate emptiness of the American dream in the shallow yet alluring Jazz Age.
In Lehane’s captivating crime novel, Prohibition creates the perfect environment for gangsters and bootleggers, like main character Joe Coughlin, son of a respected Boston police captain.
As Joe enters the violent yet lucrative world of illegal alcohol, he builds an empire of speakeasies and rum-running operations from Boston to Florida.
Richly atmospheric, “Live by Night” transports the reader into a violent era filled with rivalries, loyalty, and romance, highlighting the cost of ambition.
“Boardwalk Empire” is the vivid historical account behind Atlantic City’s rise to prominence during Prohibition.
Nelson Johnson meticulously details the corrupt politicians, greedy mobsters, and illegal nightlife that transformed a quiet coastal town into a gambling and bootlegging hotspot.
Informative without sacrificing excitement, this meticulously researched book inspired the acclaimed TV series, showcasing real-life figures like Enoch “Nucky” Johnson and the vibrant, dangerous world they created.
In this excellent narrative history, Daniel Okrent provides the full picture of Prohibition in America. He covers everything from the temperance movement’s passionate crusade to the unintended consequences, including organized crime and widespread bootlegging.
“Last Call” vividly captures an era filled with complicated characters, political maneuvers, and societal struggles, delivering a gripping portrait of an ambitious national experiment that transformed the country.
Based on the lives of the author’s own ancestors, “The Wettest County in the World” follows the Bondurant brothers’ dangerous whiskey-running operation in rural Virginia during Prohibition.
Fiercely independent and tough, the brothers’ battling with rival gangs and corrupt lawmen puts their lives in constant jeopardy. Bondurant offers a gritty, action-filled tale that vividly evokes the lawless spirit and dangerous allure of this period in American history.
Published just before Prohibition’s official start, Fitzgerald’s debut novel portrays youth culture and societal changes at the dawn of a new era. Main character Amory Blaine represents the post-World War I generation, filled with dreams, moral freedom, and rebellion.
Fitzgerald depicts the attitude and restlessness that led Americans to challenge traditional rules, capturing the cultural shift that would soon blossom into the roaring, rebellious mood of the Prohibition era.
Although set later than Prohibition itself, “The Cider House Rules” delves into themes reflecting the era’s ongoing tensions regarding morality, legality, and personal freedom.
Irving explores controversial issues like abortion and social stigma through the story of Homer Wells, raised in an orphanage and trained by Dr. Wilbur Larch.
The questions of prohibition, morality, and personal autonomy resonate throughout the novel, echoing the complex tensions that fueled the temperance debates and prohibition movements decades earlier.
“Loving Frank,” set earlier than Prohibition, centers on architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his illicit romance with Mamah Cheney.
The novel reflects a society burdened by restrictive social conventions, judgment, and scandal, a climate that contributed to America’s widespread temperance debates and subsequent Prohibition movement.
Through the struggles of its characters, Nancy Horan illustrates the societal pressures and constraints that eventually led many to embrace radical social changes, including Prohibition.
While primarily a coming-of-age story set in pre-Prohibition Brooklyn, Betty Smith’s beloved novel provides glimpses into America’s growing sentiment towards temperance.
The immigrant family at the center of the novel embodies the working-class struggle and poverty that made alcohol consumption both an escape and social issue.
Through their trials and quiet resilience, the novel gently evokes the complicated attitudes towards alcohol and poverty that would later culminate in the national experiment of Prohibition.
In “Jazz,” Toni Morrison vividly captures life in 1920s Harlem, the vibrant, yet tumultuous, cultural heart of African American experiences during Prohibition.
Morrison weaves a complex story of love, betrayal, and tragedy, set against the energetic backdrop of speakeasies and jazz clubs.
Beyond prohibition-era Harlem’s surface glamor, the novel explores deeper tensions related to race, desire, and social upheaval, offering an intimate portrait of a community navigating shifting identities in uncertain times.
Karen Abbott’s exciting narrative nonfiction account follows notorious bootlegger George Remus, America’s “Bootleg King,” and the bold female investigators determined to bring him down.
Set against the colorful Jazz-Age backdrop, Abbott reveals the lavish lifestyles, intrigue, and scandal that grew out of Prohibition’s clash between greed, morality, and ambition.
Through carefully researched details, the reader learns how Remus’s story represents the excesses, dangers, and allure of Prohibition-era crime.
“Speakeasy” offers readers an imaginative fictional depiction of the glamour and danger inside hidden bars that defined Prohibition nightlife. Alisa Kwitney captures the fast-paced excitement and reckless abandon reigning in New York City’s underground drinking scene.
Through her spirited characters and engaging storytelling, readers experience a world where speakeasies offer escape, excitement, and forbidden pleasure, bringing alive the thrill and risk of Prohibition-era living.